Carbon Nanotube Patterning on a Metal Substrate

A CNT electron source, a method of manufacturing a CNT electron source, and a solar cell utilizing a CNT patterned sculptured substrate are disclosed. Embodiments utilize a metal substrate which enables CNTs to be grown directly from the substrate. An inhibitor may be applied to the metal substrate to inhibit growth of CNTs from the metal substrate. The inhibitor may be precisely applied to the metal substrate in any pattern, thereby enabling the positioning of the CNT groupings to be more precisely controlled. The surface roughness of the metal substrate may be varied to control the density of the CNTs within each CNT grouping. Further, an absorber layer and an acceptor layer may be applied to the CNT electron source to form a solar cell, where a voltage potential may be generated between the acceptor layer and the metal substrate in response to sunlight exposure.